On Nov. 20, 2011, CM Punk emerged with his hands raised in victory after a hard-fought Survivor Series battle against Alberto Del Rio. That match, which was contested with the WWE Championship on the line, marked day one of what would become one of WWE’s most memorable and controversial title reigns. Now, 372 days later, The Voice of the Voiceless remains at the top of the mountain.

Since that Sunday night more than one year ago, Punk has successfully defended his title against all comers, most recently escaping Ryback and John Cena in a Triple Threat WWE Title Match at 2012’s Survivor Series.

Sunday, Nov. 25, marked the 371st day of The Second City Saint’s Championship reign. For the old-school stat hounds out there, that number should ring a bell — a historic one, in fact. From March 27, 1988, to April 2, 1989, “Macho Man” Randy Savage held the highest prize in all of WWE, claiming the title for exactly 371 days. It’s a number that becomes even more meaningful as CM Punk reaches day No. 372 today.

Punk, a noted Savage fan, has paid tribute to the late, great “Macho Man” many times over the past year, from striking a familiar pose on the top rope before nailing an opponent with an elbow drop, to donning pink tights in tribute to the WWE icon.

Today, as Punk passes Savage, The Second City Saint becomes the second-longest reigning titleholder in the past 25 years, behind only John Cena. While “Macho Man’s” legacy as one of the most beloved Superstars of all time is already etched in stone, Punk’s legacy is still being written and only time will tell when this particular chapter will close on the WWE Champion.

It’s not surprising that CM Punk cites the radical “Rowdy” Roddy Piper as a childhood influence. After all, Punk is the embodiment of the anti-establishment, whose skill at igniting verbal “pipe bombs” is rivaled only by “Hot Rod” himself.

Punk even looks the part of rebel with his too-numerous-to-count tattoos and body piercings. Yet, he waxes way more philosophical than his exterior might suggest, and has shown a diverse set of interests that include ghost hunting, G.I. Joe and the “Straight Edge” movement, a subculture that rejects the use of drugs, alcohol and a dependency lifestyle.

His in-ring repertoire is an assimilation of fighting styles, all of which were put on full display during his debut in The Land of the Extreme in 2006. Since then, Punk has added many accomplishments to his considerable résumé, including the ECW, WWE, World Heavyweight, World Tag Team and Intercontinental Championships.

Today, Punk is headlining pay-per-views — and he’s doing so in spite of the events of 2011, when he assailed Mr. McMahon with his blunt opinions about the business and made a bold promise not to renew his contract with the company. Punk’s criticism struck a nerve with The Chairman who, against his better judgment, granted The Second City Saint a WWE Championship Match at WWE Money in the Bank in the Superstar’s native city, Chicago. Punk not only beat John Cena to win that match, but he also absconded with the WWE Championship as the seconds on his WWE contract ticked down.

Fortunately for WWE fans everywhere, Punk agreed to re-sign with WWE weeks later, compelled to return to the ring to prove that he’s the undisputed “Best in the World.” The Voice of the Voiceless advocated on behalf of disenchanted WWE fans who felt the WWE product was in need of a good (roundhouse) kick in the teeth. He became two-time WWE Champion, proving his mettle by defeating the likes of Chris Jericho, Alberto Del Rio, Daniel Bryan and other elite Superstars.

At Raw’s historic 1,000th episode, CM Punk retained the WWE Championship against John Cena, but refused to save his opponent from an attack by Big Show. Instead, The Rock ran to ringside to save Cena, with the champion slowly retreating to the backstage area. But as soon as The Great One was about to deliver a colossal People’s Elbow to a fallen Show, Punk returned and nailed The Brahma Bull with a clothesline and Go to Sleep.

Following his indelible impact at Raw 1,000, a bitter Punk made it known he felt slighted by the WWE Universe as well as his peers in the locker room, including John Cena. Punk found an ally on his mission for respect in Paul Heyman, the founder of the original ECW who is credited with jump-starting The Second City Saint’s WWE career back in 2006. When asked about the nature of his new association with Heyman, Punk’s reply echoed one of the most quoted portions of his infamous first “pipe bomb” in July 2011: “I’m a Paul Heyman guy.”

The Straight Edge Superstar then defended the WWE Title against not one, but two worthy challengers at Survivor Series 2012. Per Mr. McMahon, Punk competed against both Cena and Ryback at WWE’s fall classic. With Punk’s defeat to Cena on the Nov. 12, 2012, edition of Raw, and with Ryback as ravenous as ever, it appeared as though Punk’s impressive WWE Championship reign was in peril like never before. But after a vicious assault onto Ryback by WWE NXT standouts Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns, Punk once again managed to sneak a pin on John Cena to retain his prize. Whether or not Punk and Heyman orchestrated the attack was ultimately irrelevant. The fact remained that the victory allowed the champion to enter day 365 of his title reign, a distinction that would be celebrated in grandiose fashion on Raw the following night. As Ryback attempted to crash Punk’s party, the WWE NXT rogues once again leveled the juggernaut. What’s their connection, if any, to the WWE Champion?

Love him or loathe him, Punk ranks himself high among WWE’s most iconic Superstars ... and the calculating ring general isn’t planning on loosening his grip on the illustrious WWE Title anytime soon.

Randy "Macho Man" Savage bio...

Few Superstars were as dynamic as "Macho Man" Randy Savage. His style — perfectly punctuated by his entrance music, "Pomp and Circumstance" — was only outshined by his performances in the ring, which led him to two WWE Championships, four WCW World Championships and a 14-month reign as Intercontinental Champion.

Born Randy Poffo, son of wrestling Legend, Angelo Poffo, Macho Man almost chose Major League Baseball over World Wrestling Entertainment. Poffo was signed by the St. Louis Cardinals as a catcher upon graduating high school. After years developing in the minor leagues, a home plate collision causes an injury to his throwing arm, ending his baseball career.

Following in his father’s footsteps, Randy Poffo debuted as a wrestler in 1973 as a character named “The Spider” who looked like Spider-Man. This was prophetic as Randy Savage scored a role as wrestler “Bone Saw” McGraw in the 2002 motion picture, Spider-Man. It wasn’t until Georgia Championship Wrestling matchmaker; Ole Anderson told Poffo that his name didn’t resemble his savage wrestling style that the name Randy Savage became known to fans.

Joining WWE in June of 1985, Macho Man's impact was such that his services were in demand by the various managers in WWE at that time. But Savage introduced a young woman named Elizabeth to accompany him to the ring and manage him. With the First Lady of Wrestling as his manager, the Superstar’s first major achievement was reaching the finals of a one-night tournament, as part of the Wrestling Classic pay-per-view event in November of 1985. The following February, after a lengthy rivalry with then-Intercontinental Champion Tito Santana, Macho Man defeated the WWE Hall of Famer to earn his first WWE title.

Savage became a WrestleMania staple early on, making his debut on The Grandest Stage of Them All at WrestleMania 2 where he defended the Intercontinental Championship against the intimidating and unpredictable George "The Animal" Steele. From there, he defended the title all the way until WrestleMania III, when he fell short to Ricky Steamboat in what is considered by many to be one of the greatest matches of all time.

Success continued to coincide with Macho Man in 1988, when he won a huge tournament at WrestleMania IV to earn his first WWE Championship. During his reign as champion, he and Hulk Hogan formed one of the most formidable tandems to ever step foot in a ring. The Mega Powers were virtually unstoppable by anyone — except for themselves. A misunderstanding and a touch of jealousy sent Savage into a rage at NBC's The Main Event, leading him to attack his tag team partner. The two took their differences to the ring at WrestleMania V, when Hogan won back the WWE Championship.

Savage went on to dub himself "Macho King" after defeating "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan for the King of the Ring title in 1989. Carrying a scepter and crown, he called on Sensational Sherri to replace Elizabeth as his manager. Savage targeted then-WWE Champion Ultimate Warrior with a series of attacks in response to being denied a title opportunity, which led to a Career-Ending Match at WrestleMania VII. When Savage was pinned, Sherri attacked him as he lay helpless. Fortunately, Elizabeth was in the audience and rushed to his aid, sparking arguably the most romantic moment the WWE Universe had ever witnessed. The sight of Miss Elizabeth and Macho Man embarking in the center of the ring after all those years was one of the fans would not soon forget..

WrestleMania VII's romance may have been topped at SummerSlam 1991. That was when WWE’s favorite couple was married in a special ceremony dubbed the "Match Made in Heaven.”

Macho Man returned to the ring shortly after and eventually earned an opportunity for a second reign as WWE Champion at WrestleMania VIII against Ric Flair. Savage was successful in earning the perfect accessory to match his golden attire, and he also put to rest Flair’s false claims that he and Elizabeth were having an affair. After his run as champion, Macho Man sat next to Mr. McMahon and served as color commentator for the premiere season of Monday Night Raw in 1993.

After defecting to WCW during the infamous Monday Night War, Savage won his first WCW World Championship, winning WCW's first-ever 60-Man Three-Ring Battle Royal in 1995. He would lose the title a month later to his rival, Flair, only to win it back from him for a second reign in early 1996.

Four years later, after a ring career that spanned back to 1973, Savage left the squared circle and left a style, a staggering list of accomplishments and a legacy, which can only be described in two words: "Oooh, yeah!"

Following his untimely passing in 2011, Time Magazine named Macho Man one of their People of the Year. (WWE)

Jim Ross posted his latest blog at www.JRSBBQ.com and discussed Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns appearing on RAW tonight. Here is what he wrote about the NXT talents:

Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns on RAW tonight: "Apparently the three men in black, Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, and Roman Reigns will be interviewed by @MichaelCole tonight on Raw. I hope that we get some revealing info but not too much as I feel these three can be significant contributors on RAW but I also feel that this info needs to come over time especially with WWE doing tons of episodic TV. As a fan, I don't need every question answered tonight and, hopefully, their comments will elict even more interest/questions.

"Count on this...no matter what the three, NXT talents have to say, it will be dissected and thoroughly analyzed. In today's social media crazed, info heavy world of sports entertainment, everything is under a microscope and there are more 'experts' sounding off than ever before. Don't take that as a knock and if you do... Lighten Up Francis."

Dean Ambrose: "Ambrose has a little Roddy Piper and Brian Pillman traits in him or so it seems to me. His FCW/NXT bout a few months ago with @RealKingRegal was stellar. I called it with Dusty Rhodes and we had a blast. Ambrose is a blue chip stock and is arguably the most 'unpredictable' of the three. Perhaps 'complex' is an adequate word to describe Ambrose at this point in time."

Seth Rollins: "Rollins reminds me of @CMPunk in some areas of Rollins' game or at least the formative CM Punk of a few years ago. I perceive that as a good thing. Rollins is an Iowa kid who has a sound, skill set, confidence, toughness and is the current NXT Champion. He has a natural swagger and wrestles with a chip on his shoulder which I embrace."

Roman Reigns: "Reigns is a former Georgia Tech nose tackle and has reshaped his body from 300+ to 260ish and is of Samoan decent, father is WWE HOFer Sika, and at times has reminded me of @TheRock when I first inked 'The Great One' to his WWE contract. In that I mean the obvious heritage matter but also the physical frame, intellect, and overall, natural athleticism. We can only hope that Roman Reigns can approach The Rock's accomplishments inside the squared circle some day. Only time will tell if that lofty goal can be reached but Reigns can be special. Watch someone interpret what I just said as being that JR is predicting Roman to be the next Rock. Hey, I wish."

Much more info at Ross' latest blog http://www.jrsbarbq.com including who he'd like to see inducted in the 2013 Hall of Fame, tonight's RAW and more on Reigns, Ambrose and Rollins.

WWE 'The Shield' speaks on record...

"It's not about benefitting Punk. It's about right and wrong. CM Punk, the WWE champion, was forced to defend his title in a triple threat match against two guys he had already defeated. That's wrong. So we stepped in. If it had been Ryback or Cena, we would have done the same thing. If Ryback was champion for 365 days and Punk tried to ruin his party, we would have intervened on Ryback's behalf. 365 days as champion in this era, that's a huge milestone. That should be celebrated, right?"

"Look Cole, we see where you're getting at. We hear everything you guys are saying, we read everything that's being written, okay? We know what you guys are thinking. But we're not renegades, we're not mercanaries, we're not the Nexus; if you're looking for the nWo, go buy the DVD. We're about principles. We're about honor. Where honor no long exists, we're going to step in. It's like he said, we're a shield from injustice. We're a shield from injustice. ... We are The Shield."